The sudden appearance of a mysterious giant man on the battlefield puts a wariness in Wise’s eyes.
“Who are you……? (He took a direct Silver Bloom hit and came out unscathed? No sign of magical defense, no trace of a divine gift. There must be some secret to that armor……)”
To that question, Luna puts on an unfazed smirk.
“Heh, glad you asked. My name is——Silver Glorious=El=Bloodfallenheart!”
She had still not accepted the shortened name ‘Silver.’
“That’s a mouthful. Silver works fine.”
“Ggh……so it comes to that again……!”
Wise’s preemptive strike——minor damage to Luna’s spirit.
“So then, Silver——just what are you, exactly……?”
“I’m a saint——no wait, a villainess——no, an adventurer.”
Luna misstates herself multiple times, but Wise doesn’t particularly care.
She is pouring every nerve into measuring the enemy’s combat potential right now; the contents of the conversation are a distant second priority.
“Huh, an adventurer. (This one……has no magical reaction whatsoever. Judging by that imposing plate armor, I’d put him as a ‘heavily armored infantry, toughness is his thing’ type. Heh, an easy mark for me.)”
Heavily armored infantry——low mobility, high durability. The exact type Wise handles most easily.
A perfect matchup. She could finish him whenever she wanted.
That confidence showed plainly on her face.
“Wise——may I ask you something in return?”
“Go ahead. Not promising I’ll answer, though.”
“Then——you called yourself the ‘Proxy of the Saint,’ but is that true?”
“Of course it is! I’m the Proxy of the Saint! The one who carries on her will!”
Wise spreads both arms wide and begins speaking loudly, as if performing for the citizens below.
“I once encountered the ‘Saint’s restless spirit,’ and was lucky enough to have the chance to speak with her! And the hatred she felt toward humans——you wouldn’t believe it. Well, naturally. She was betrayed by the very people she’d been protecting all along, and burned alive in the most horrible way!”
“[Citizens]: ……!”
Their dark history dragged back into the light, everyone present drops their gaze in unison.
“The Saint gave up on you! Seeing your inhuman conduct, your savage true nature, she decided it was hopeless! Humans are a crystallization of evil! Creatures with karma this deep can’t be saved——that’s what she said!”
“That’s fair.”
Luna doesn’t argue, giving a deep, earnest nod.
The hidden cruelty of humanity had been made very clear to her today, on the field trip, in no uncertain terms.
“You……accepted that awfully easily. (*……Something’s off about this Silver. My innate magic ** isn’t doing anything. How does a human have no ‘sense of guilt toward the Saint’……?*)”
Innate magic . It activates when the user’s words plant ‘guilt’ in the target’s mind, greatly weakening all of the target’s stats.
Wise’s words are literally attacks——’break the spirit, shatter the body’ is her basic fighting style.
In fact, during this very assault, she had pressed hard on ‘the Saint’s execution’——humanity’s greatest taboo——and had successfully weakened Raios and the other enemy forces……
But on Luna, the Saint herself, it naturally has no effect whatsoever.
(Well, Silver aside for now——I need to carry out my role.)
With that judgment, Wise concentrates silver light into both palms.
“I will follow the Saint’s dying wishes and begin humanity’s destruction! The Saint commands it: ‘Destroy the wicked humans’!”
The eyeballs in her palms gleam uncannily, and silver-white flashes are released.
They rampage through the city, and people scatter screaming in all directions.
“Hahaha! What’s the matter, show a little more joy! This is your beloved Saint’s magic!”
Wearing a mocking smile, she fires Silver Bloom alongside words designed to crush people’s spirits, destroying the city piece by piece.
Watching this, Luna gives a nod of understanding.
“Ah……I see. So that’s it.”
She finally gets it.
That indescribable sick feeling she’d had since first laying eyes on Wise.
She finally understands why.
“You’re the same.”
Wise’s words and actions were identical to those of the ugly humans of three hundred years ago.
What crosses Luna’s mind are unpleasant exchanges from the past.
[Why such a brutal attack? The enemy had no will to fight by that point.]
[S-Saint-sama!? N-no, it isn’t like that! I was ordered to by the Commander, I had no choice……!]
Whatever I did, someone else told me to do it.
[Why say something so heartless……? Beastman discrimination is supposed to be outlawed in this country.]
[I-it’s a misunderstanding! Those were the Prime Minister’s words, they absolutely do not reflect my true feelings……!]
I didn’t say it, someone else said it.
[Why did you poison the citizens’ wells? Even if they were an enemy nation’s people, was there truly a need to go that far……?]
[I-I never told them to go that far! The idiots in the field unit did it of their own accord……!]
I never ordered it, someone else did it on their own.
Never making oneself the responsible party, always claiming it was someone else’s order——Saint Luna had hated this stance.
Wise, who the moment she opened her mouth invoked ‘the Saint said this’ and ‘this is the Saint’s dying wish’ and heaped all responsibility onto the Saint, overlapped perfectly with those ugly humans of three hundred years ago.
“——Wise.”
“What is it, Silver?”
“I’ve just met you, but it seems I already despise you.”
The source of the sick feeling was simple——nothing more, nothing less, than pure ‘revulsion.’
“Aha, despise! Right back at you. I despise you too——you humans who murdered the Saint in the most horrible way!”
A silver-white flash fires from Wise’s right hand——and hits Luna square in the face.
“Hmm……this is indeed the same magic as the Saint’s. Who taught it to you?”
Luna, having taken Silver Bloom directly in the face, is unharmed, as a matter of course.
“Already told you. Her restless spirit.”
“I see. No intention of giving a real answer, then.”
Luna shrugs, and Wise fires back a question.
“Still though, Silver——you seem pretty capable. (That Silver Bloom I just sent was a fairly strong one……and it had no effect at all. That armor is seriously dangerous. Abnormal magical defense——probably one of the ‘Sacred Relics’ left behind by the legendary saint’s party.)”
“For what it’s worth, I used to be reasonably capable back in the day——but I’m honestly not sure where I stand now.”
Since reincarnating into this era, the number of people Luna has come to blows with is three.
A self-proclaimed strongest pervert. A wall anemone. A maximum protection priority target.
Unfortunately, none of them serve as useful reference points.
She still hasn’t managed to get a read on where she stands in the modern world.
“Anyway, at this rate, chipping away with Silver Bloom isn’t going to bring you down.”
“That sounds awfully defeatist. Are you surrendering?”
“Not a chance! That’s not what I mean——I’m thinking I should get a little serious.”
Wise spreads both arms and opens her mouth wide.
At that instant, the three eyeballs serving as Silver Bloom launch points——right palm, left palm, and inside the mouth——smoothly float up into the air and merge into one enormous eyeball.
“Tremble in awe! This is the great magic of the Saint, the ultimate blow that consigns all things to oblivion——the one true ‘Silver Bloom’!”
As she shouts, a tremendous surge of magical energy converges on the eyeball floating above.
Witnessing its abnormal output, people drop to their knees one by one.
“Wh-what an absurd level of power……!”
“That thing was hiding this card up her sleeve too……!”
“Can humans really not beat a demon……!?”
In the spreading atmosphere of despair——Luna makes a low rumble in her throat.
“Wise, one moment.”
“What, composing your last words?”
“I think you may have some misconception——Silver Bloom is not a spell you use alone.”
“What?”
The next instant Luna extends her right hand forward——
“Silver Bloom——Thousand Visions——”
——a thousand shining silver flashes filled the open sky.
“…………What?”
A completely bewildered sound escapes Wise’s mouth.
(Why does Silver know Silver Bloom……!? No, before that——what is this ridiculous scale of magic!? What is this insane level of output!? Th-this can’t be real……. What kind of monster is this, and where did he come from!?)
She is simply overwhelmed by the scene, like a page torn from mythology.
Luna, for her part——wears a villainess’s cool smile and turns Wise’s own words against her with a pointed question.
“——What’s the matter? Aren’t you happy? This is your beloved Saint’s magic.”
“You little……bastard……! Don’t you dare look down on Wise Burdahorn!”
Wise burns every last drop of her magical energy and unleashes her most powerful blow.
Against it, Luna sweeps her right hand sideways.
“——Release.”
The next instant, the silver meteors released consume Wise’s clumsy Silver Bloom in an instant——
“……ah, gah, oh……!”
——and the all-directional concentrated fire of overwhelming, absolute firepower leaves not a single cell of her behind, erasing her from the world in a fraction of a second.
A single strike.
Saint Luna made the ‘pure difference in class’ unmistakably, painfully clear.
And——
(That’s……impossible……!)
Raios Reinhardt, who witnessed the entire fight, is struck speechless.
(Wise, with her monstrous strength——was treated like a child……!)
Literally, the ‘scale of power’ was different.
That wasn’t a fight. It was nothing but a one-sided slaughter.
(Silver Glorious=El=Bloodfallenheart——who on earth is that man……!?)
In the silence that has fallen over the city——Luna addresses the people below.
“——I am the true Proxy of the Saint.”
“[Citizens]: ……!?”
At those words, the people hold their breath.
“As the book of prophecy foretold, the Saint has reincarnated. However, she is troubled——she has lost her ability to trust humans. So show her. Show that humanity——that you——are beings worthy of salvation……!”
The moment Luna finishes speaking, sobs break out across the city.
“S-sniff……the Saint……the Saint has finally reincarnated……!”
“Saint-sama, I offer apology here and now for the sins of our foolish ancestors. We are truly, deeply sorry……!”
“Saint-sama, thank you, thank you……! We celebrate your reincarnation from the bottom of our hearts……!”
Those weeping with emotion. Those apologizing for history’s mistakes. Those repeating their gratitude over and over. Their faces are a mess of tears——but of course, not tears of sorrow.
Joy so great it cannot be contained is overflowing as great rolling drops.
And then——a group gripping holy crosses comes streaming out of nowhere.
“——Now, everyone! Let us offer the Saint our prayers with every fiber of our being!”
At the leader’s call, they raise their voices all at once, loud enough to burst.
“[Saint Church]: Saint-sama……! Saint-sama……! Saint-sama……!”
Ordinarily these prayers are met with cold stares——but right now, in this moment, not a single person is scoffing.
“……aint-sama……”
A young man murmurs quietly——
“Saint-……sama……”
——a middle-aged woman follows in a small voice——
“……Saint-sama……”
——an elderly noblewoman says it clearly——
“Saint-sama!”
——a small child’s voice rings out——
“……Saint-sama……!”
——a large man can’t hold back any longer and shouts it.
One person, then another, joining the great chorus for the Saint——
“[Everyone]: Saint-sama……! Saint-sama……! Saint-sama……!”
——the entire city’s consciousness becomes one, completing a scene of frenzied, extraordinary intensity.
(Sorry, please really stop, this is just honestly terrifying……)
As Luna recoils in horror——behind her, a single Holy Knight touches down. Raios Reinhardt.
“——Hey. You——Silver, was it.”
“……What?”
After a brief silence, Luna turns around slowly.
For a moment she thought about giving her full name properly——but Raios’s voice was deadly serious, so she reluctantly swallowed it back down.
“You have a connection to the Saint?”
“Yeah.”
“I see……I have a great many things I’d like to ask, but you’re not going to answer them anyway, are you.”
“Pretty much.”
Luna gives a small nod.
This time, a scoundrel claiming to be the Proxy of the Saint had appeared, so she had reluctantly made ‘adventurer Silver’ into the Proxy of the Saint——nothing more.
She had absolutely no intention of returning to the public stage.
“Then I have one thing I’d like you to pass on.”
“What?”
“Tell the Saint this: ‘Please watch our growth——watch our light.'”
“……Heh. Fine.”
One way or another, the threat of Wise had passed.
(Everyone in the city has lost their minds……time to get out of here.)
Just as Luna moves to use ——a large explosion sounds from behind.
She looks over——a massive pillar of fire rises into the sky, and within the crimson flames floats a creature with four legs and a round body.
(A demon……there was another one.)
This newly appeared demon lands in a corner of the city, does an about-face, and bolts away at full speed.
(That demon was carrying something carefully……?)
What she glimpsed for a moment was a book with a red cover.
(……Hm, that looks familiar somehow……?)
As Luna racks her brain——right near the explosion’s epicenter, a man who appears to be a researcher lets out a desperate wail.
“S-someone stop that demon! The Saint’s book of prophecy——the Red Book has been stolen……!”
“[Everyone]: What——!?”
There had been two of them from the start.
Wise was a decoy——her role was to cause a flashy spectacle on the surface and draw all the hatred.
And the four-legged demon was the real objective——working quietly in the background to steal the Kingdom of Elgia’s national treasure.
Their target all along had been the Saint’s book of prophecy, stored in the deepest part of the city.
“Oh no……the Saint’s book of prophecy……!”
“Just when the Saint has finally reincarnated……!”
“We won’t be able to face the Saint now……!”
While the people grieve, the Holy Knights steel themselves.
“Hah, hah……pursue it, pursue it! We absolutely cannot let it escape!”
“The Saint’s book of prophecy is……humanity’s……hope……!”
“We will get it back, even at the cost of our lives……!”
The Holy Knights, already battered from the fight with Wise, rise like specters, whip their heavy bodies onward, and give chase to the demon.
But——
“——Stop!”
Raios’s voice cuts across them.
“You’re all exhausted from the earlier battle. The enemy’s exact strength is unknown, but they can be expected to be at least equal to Wise. Pursuing now is completely the wrong move——it’s nothing but throwing your lives away!”
The Holy Knights push back against him.
“B-but……! If we don’t, the Saint’s book of prophecy will fall into the hands of the demons!”
“Remember what Silver——the Proxy——said!”
“We must show the Saint that we are ‘beings worthy of salvation’!”
As objections pour out one after another, Raios’s voice silences them.
“Fools——clear your heads! Think carefully about what ‘the Saint truly means’!”
“[Knights]: The Saint’s……true meaning……!?”
“The Saint once put the salvation of humanity first, acting without regard for herself, always putting the people’s lives before everything else! Even if it were a Sacred Relic, even if it were a book of prophecy written by the Saint’s own hand——nothing should be prioritized above the lives of the people! That is surely what the Saint would say!”
“[Knights]: ……!”
It was a perfect argument with no room for rebuttal.
Strong and kind and beautiful, thinking of the people, fighting for the people, devoting herself to the people.
That was ‘the Saint’——symbol of humanity’s salvation.
“Kgh……even at this point, we were again about to make the wrong judgment……!”
“Despite having studied the way of the Saint, I couldn’t reach that conclusion……I’m simply ashamed of myself……!”
“I must think more deeply and understand the Saint’s true meaning……!”
The Holy Knights are ashamed of their own shallow thinking——and moved.
Remembering how deeply the Saint had thought of humanity——the mercy of her heart, deeper than the sea and higher than the mountains——their tears would not stop.
Having perfectly grasped the Saint’s true meaning and stopped the Holy Knights from charging to their deaths, Raios turns around.
“The Saint would prioritize the people’s lives over the Red Book——wouldn’t she. Don’t you agree, Proxy of the Saint?”
“Of course not! Everyone go after it right now, and don’t come back until you have it!”
“……What?”
Having received the exact opposite of what he expected, Raios’s jaw drops open.